Author: News Room

Inflation and rising costs are why many Americans said they focused on paying bills rather than saving for the future, according to a recent survey. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said that their current financial issues took precedence over saving for things like retirement, according to a survey by the Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. In addition, the pressure of keeping up with rising costs is why 45% said they dipped into their retirement savings to make ends meet. Inflation hit an record-high of  9.1% last June, and has since leveled off and slowed down in a sign that the Federal Reserve’s monetary…

Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as “Credible” below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders who compensate us for our services, all opinions are our own. Personal loans can be great options for refinancing high-interest debt or covering unexpected expenses. But you might find yourself asking: How does a personal loan affect my credit score? A personal loan can impact your credit score in multiple ways, including when you apply, borrow and begin to repay the debt…

In light of a volatile interest rate environment, millions around the globe opened their first credit products in the past two years, a new study found.  And in the U.S., many new borrowers’ ability to pay off debt was slightly less favorable than that of more established credit-served customers, according to the Empowering Credit Inclusion study by TransUnion.New-to-credit (NTC) consumers who opened credit cards over the last two years reflected higher credit card delinquency rates after the first six months following opening their accounts, compared to people with established credit and similar credit scores who opened new credit cards during…

Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as “Credible” below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders who compensate us for our services, all opinions are our own. Rates for well-qualified borrowers using the Credible marketplace to refinance student loans rose this week for both 10-year fixed-rate loans and 5-year variable-rate loans. For borrowers with credit scores of 720 or higher who used the Credible marketplace to select a lender during the week of March 13, 2023:Rates on 10-year…

A decline in mortgage rates has boosted homebuyer interest in recent weeks. Demand for mortgage applications climbed 2.9% from a week earlier, according to the weekly survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association.Mortgage rates have been moving lower since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank triggered fears of a broader banking meltdown. “Application activity increased as mortgage rates declined for the third straight week”, said Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist. “The 30-year fixed rate declined to 6.45%, the lowest level in over a month.”  MORTGAGE RATES POST BIG DECLINE AMID SILICON VALLEY BANK FALLOUT The decline in…

Riverfront homes come with the built-in benefit of backing up to a tranquil, natural setting. In Vero Beach, Florida, houses along the Indian River, just inland from the Atlantic Ocean, have the added advantage of being located on one of the most ecologically diverse estuaries in North America. “There are only so many places in the country where you can wake up and enjoy a cup of coffee and see dolphins and manatees swimming in your backyard,” says agent Michael McCauley of Dale Sorensen Real Estate. Along with wildlife sightings and spectacular sunrises, residents enjoy fishing and boating as well…

So, how’s that New Year’s resolution working for you? By late March, many aspirations—both personal and professional—are woefully off course, perhaps abandoned entirely. That’s because we forget to step back and assess: Are we on track? Where are we headed? Have we learned anything that changes how we’ll meet our personal philanthropic goals or that will help financial advisors meet their clients’ objectives? By understanding recent giving trends, we find better paths toward our philanthropic aims. As we saw in the recent 2023 Giving Report by Fidelity Charitable®, 2022 was a year when philanthropy became a sustaining force for nonprofits…

The IRS has announced it will open several Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) around the country this Saturday, April 8, for face-to-face help available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. An additional Saturday opening is planned for May 13. “During these special openings, taxpayers can get walk-in service for in-person help on many tax matters,” said IRS Wage & Investment Division Commissioner and Taxpayer Experience Officer Ken Corbin. “These extra weekend hours are to enable the nation’s taxpayers to effectively resolve their tax account concerns in ways that are most convenient for them.” No Appointment Needed Normally, TACs require taxpayers to…

By Rachel Leland, Next Avenue As aging World War II veteran Johnnie Ray Toland started showing signs of Alzheimer’s, his family began searching for an assisted living home to care for him. Staff members at one home introduced the family to Tammi Palasini. Palasini, who would later be sentenced to 20 years behind bars for various crimes, including fraud, convinced the Toland family to give her control of $340,000 of their funds. Aid and Assistance Scam In what is known as an “aid and assistance scam,” Palasini falsely promised the Toland family that she would help diversify their father’s assets…

The emergency provisions in the CARES Act gave the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) the ability to place mostly minimum security prisoners on home confinement if they had underlying health conditions. For many prisoners, it meant spending years on home confinement instead of a prison setting. For the BOP it provided a glimpse of how it could effectively monitor many inmates in a setting other than a prison. However, that program is set to end in mid-May 2023. The results of CARES Act home confinement illustrate what a successful program it was for the BOP. While the BOP was slow…